You are working as a business analyst at MPS, a company that makes high-speed printers. MPS dominates the mature high-speed printing industry, with approximately one-third of the total market. Because many companies are transitioning to paperless bills, however, this is not a growth industry. Your company is still profitable, due to its large market share, but revenue is stagnant.

You have been working at MPS for a little more than a year and are looking for opportunities to make a name for yourself. The vice president of sales, Dom, joins a meeting where you are in attendance. Dom pulls you aside after the meeting and tells you that he would like to roll out virtual reality software to his salesforce. Dom is extremely influential, having one of the longest tenures at the organization. You know that if you successfully led a project, he was championing, you would almost be guaranteed a promotion.

Excitedly, you ask Dom how he envisions using the virtual reality software. He replies, "I don't know. But we have to get it!" and then walks out of the room. You are left wondering what to do next.

Review Questions

• What is the first thing you should do when you return to your desk?
• How would you go about determining the viability of this project?

Critical Thinking Questions

• Would you investigate this type of software further or just wait until Dom speaks to an IS manager?
• Should your company use technology to innovate in this mature industry, or would it be better to simply maintain the status quo because the company has such a large market share?